Baghdad appears to have fallen

I am watching American tanks in the middle of Baghdad. There doesn't appear to have been much resistance. David Chater +from Sky News is wandering around interviewing the marines, who are all saying they hope to be back at home with their families as soon as possible. They are still looking a little tense and on guard, but they are getting interrupted and asked if they mind talking to Sky News for a moment. Remarkable stuff. (The marines look so young).

Apparently the Iraqi secret police headquarters have just been taken. It will be interesting but I suspect not pleasant to see what they find there.

It will be interesting to see whether anyone can find out just precisely who Salam Pax is, and if so who will manage to interview him.

The Americans have commenced bombing Tikrit, the home town of Saddam Hussein and the home of the Sunni ethnic group that makes up his loyalists, We will see how much resistance there is there and what strategy the Americans will take. The town will contain lots of people with nothing to lose, which is always dangerous. (Of course, it is possible to cut off the town's infrastructure and wait for its supplies to run out).

Iraq is the cradle of human civilization. Agriculture may well have been invented there. The Sumerian civilization were the first people in the world to invent writing. I hope to be able to visit the country some time in the next couple of years.

Update: Two Iraqis are holding a sign saying "Go home human shields, you US wankers", plus some Iraqis want help in pulling down a statue of Saddam Hussein.